By Dr. Randy Woodley, an excerpt from his book Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth The harmony way is a way of living that undergirds all of Native American history, religion, traditions, ceremonies, stories, philosophy, and relationships. Referred to by different [...]Read More
Lessons learned over 110 years
Pastor Matt currently serves as one of the CCDA Economic Empowerment Network Connectors. I love to joke when I introduce Star of Hope Ministries that we’ve been around for 110 years...but I haven’t been there that long. My kids roll their eyes and groan, but it gets a chuckle from the audience [...]Read More
Connecting Kingdom to Community
by Lydia Lucas, in collaboration with Chasing Justice I am from El Barrio of New York City, and am of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. Though I have been in the nonprofit field my entire career, I never imagined that I would be at a faith-based organization that served people experiencing [...]Read More
The Ministry of Speaking up
by Steve Park The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. Proverbs 29:7 (NIV) I don’t like conflict. I also don’t like asking for things. Perhaps it’s my personality or my Korean family background that values politeness, but advocacy work is not [...]Read More
Half Half
by Dr. Sunny Sue Chang Jonas In 1992, May was officially designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.* As an Asian American, I am grateful to stand on the shoulders of those who identified as such before us and to stand alongside those who currently identify as Asian American. We [...]Read More
Communal Stories for Community Thriving
by Chandra Crane As a Mixed Thai-American minister working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the Jackson Metro area, one of the things that first drew me to the Christian Community Development Association is the emphasis on listening to the community in which we are serving. Healthy [...]Read More
Uvalde: 1 Year Later
by Christina Foor & Norma Ruiz Read Part 1 of this blog here. It’s been a year since the terrible mass shooting that happened in my hometown of Uvalde. Last year, I reflected on Mark 4 as a way to process the deep despair and hope I was feeling in that moment. This year, the story of the [...]Read More
The Church Can Play a Role in Healing Trauma
by Aminah Vargas, LSW Let's face it, trauma is a topic that's on everyone's lips. It's the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual's nervous system, disrupts their ability to cope, and causes feelings of helplessness. As a licensed social worker and [...]Read More